Tag: Firearms

Commentary: Gun Violence Is the Penalty for Our Failure to Uphold a Moral, Functioning Society

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In the wake of recent mass shootings in New York, Texas, and Oklahoma, Democrats are once again sending Americans up a blind alley. Their “solution” is to punish millions of law-abiding gun owners for the crimes of a few evil maniacs. Undeniably, there is a certain appeal to this response. Gun control is a facile “fix” to a complex problem. 

Americans have owned guns since the founding, but it wasn’t until comparatively recently that mass shootings became a concern. Guns are not the problem. Our culture is. Broken cultures produce broken human beings. For every school shooter, there are thousands of other weak, confused, mentally disturbed men who are drifting away from society. They aren’t dating, aren’t working, and they spend most of their time in their bedrooms playing video games, smoking weed, watching pornography, and stewing in social media echo chambers. 

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Push for Gun Control in Pennsylvania Expands to Body-Armor Control

Bradley Vasoli

A bill proposed last week by state Rep. Tim Briggs (D-PA-King of Prussia) would bar civilians from buying or possessing body armor in Pennsylvania. 

His legislation follows efforts on the federal level and in other states to prohibit civilians from acquiring protective shields. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for a body-armor ban in 2019 after a mass shooting in Dayton, OH. The New York State Assembly has considered enacting state-level restrictions over the last few sessions, but a bill to do so has stalled.

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Captured Russian Soldier Says He Realized Moscow Lied When His Favorite Boxers Joined the Resistance

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Ukrainian Protests Continue into the weekend for now it's 5th day, with actions happening at Trafalgar and the Russian Embassy.

A Russian prisoner of war claimed Moscow lied to soldiers before sending them to invade Ukraine.

Lieutenant Colonel Astakhov Dmitry Mikhailovich said soldiers were told Ukraine was “dominated by a fascist regime” and that “nationalists and Nazis had seized power,” according to a translation by the New York Post. He made the accusations during a media conference Thursday alongside two other captured Russian soldiers.

He explained that when he entered Ukraine and saw his favorite boxers, Ukrainians Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko, join the resistance, his doubts about the reasons for the invasion were amplified, the NYP reported.

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The Tennessee Firearms Association Opposes Bill Lowering Handgun Age to 18 Because of Certain Provisions

Aaron Gulbransen

The Tennessee Firearms Association announced their opposition to a pending bill under General Assembly consideration that lowers the handgun carry age from 21 to 18.

Rep. Chris Todd (R-Madison-HD73) filed HB1735 on January 13, 2022. House Majority Leader William Lamberth is a co-sponsor. Senator Mike Bell (R-Riceville-SD9) filed the companion bill, SB2291, on February 2, 2022.

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Dozens of Firearms Stolen from Trains in Los Angeles

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handgun with ammo

In the latest train robbery in the city of Los Angeles, dozens of firearms, including handguns and shotguns, were stolen from a cargo train in a massive raid.

As reported by ABC News, three suspects arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) last summer were found to be in possession of some of the new .22-caliber handguns from the stolen cache. The guns were found to match the larger batch of 36 handguns stolen from the train that had been bound for Tennessee, according to police.

One of the suspects admitted that the guns were stolen while the train was in the Lincoln Heights rail yard, which has become a prime target for train robberies in recent months. Later, two more suspects were arrested with shotguns that were found to have come from a larger batch of 46 shotguns that had also been stolen from the train.

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Record Gun Sales Fueled by 5.4 Million First Time Buyers

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Gun sales surged to a record high in 2021, fueled by first-time gun owners, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).

At least 5.4 million people purchased firearms for the first time in 2021, with roughly 30% of all gun purchases going to first-time buyers, according to the NSSF. The figure is a 10% decrease from 2020, when approximately 8.4 million people purchased firearms for the first time.

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Commentary: Jussie Smollett — Another Liar and Perjurer Made by the Media for TV Crime Entertainment

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Jussie Smollett

I guess I first knew Jussie Smollett was fated for disaster when he did the unthinkable: an American trying to perpetrate a fraud on Nigerians.

Add to that: He had the full-throated backing of Kamala Harris, our vice tweeter, and of our Tweeter-in-Chief. In Harris’s words: “@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery. This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate.” Uncle Joe (or whoever tweets for him) posted this: “What happened today to @JussieSmollett must never be tolerated in this country. We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie.”

The Insatiable American Fascination with Crime, Crooks, Detectives, and Courtroom “Trials of the Century”

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NBC’s Ken Dilanian Reports Gun Dealer to Secret Service For Selling ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ AR-15 Safety Selectors

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AR-15 Magazine that says "Let's Go Brandon"

An NBC reporter said Monday that he has contacted the Secret Service about a gun dealer’s anti-Biden weapons parts. As Joe Biden sinks in the polls, multiple gun dealers appear to be capitalizing on his unpopularity to sell weapons parts and ammunition.

The dealers, according to NBC News’s “Fusion” Ken Dilanian, are “using a right-wing slogan widely understood as code for profanity” to mock Biden, and sell gun supplies.

That slogan—”Let’s Go Brandon”—”isn’t actually about supporting a guy named Brandon,” NPR explained in a hard-hitting investigative report this past weekend. The publicly-funded radio organization spilled the beans on what the phrase actually means: “it’s a euphemism that many people in conservative circles are using in place of saying, ‘F*** Joe Biden.’”

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Minneapolis Rideshare Drivers Experiencing Spike in Robberies and Carjackings

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Uber and Lyft drivers in Minneapolis are facing a slew of robberies and carjackings, Crime Watch Minneapolis reported this week.

In an article published Thursday, Crime Watch Minneapolis recounted the various incidents against rideshare drivers heard on Minneapolis police scanners since Oct. 1. The crime watchdog noted that “many of those reports have included assaults on the drivers and the use of guns in the robberies.”

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Ohio Bill Calling Gun Sales Essential Gets First Hearing

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A bill that declares some firearms businesses and services life-sustaining and essential during a public emergency got its first hearing Tuesday in front of the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee.

House Bill 325, introduced by Rep. Scott Wiggam, R-Wooster, would not allow the state to stop the sale of firearms during a state of emergency, similar to what happened when certain businesses were declared essential when Gov. Mike DeWine issued a stay-at-home order at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Ryne Bolick, Son of Shawnna Bolick and Clint Bolick, Leads Arizona State University Students’ Effort to Allow Open Carry on Campus

Rachel Alexander

Tyne Bolick, the son of Arizona Rep. Shawnna Bolick (R-Phoenix) and Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, is following in his parents’ footsteps taking an interest in politics and the law. He started a chapter of Students for Liberty at Arizona State University last year, and soon afterward the club launched a petition drive to allow open carry at Arizona’s universities. 

Bolick told The Arizona Sun Times that he saw a need for the change due to the alarming number of reports of rape, armed robbery, and other violent crimes on campus, which are emailed to students sometimes as often as once a week. It’s especially a problem on the downtown ASU campus due to the large homeless population. 

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Commentary: Despite What Biden Says, Guns Factor in Only a Small Percentage of Violent Crimes

RealClearWire
Police Car

In response to sharp increases in violent crime, President Biden stressed again last week that his administration is focused on “stemming the flow of firearms used to commit violent crimes.”  But critics warn that this “guns first” approach ignores a basic fact – about 92% of violent crimes in America do not involve firearms.

Although firearms were used in about 74% of homicides in 2019, they comprise less than 9% of violent crimes in America.

The vast majority of violent offenses – including robberies, rapes and other sex crimes – almost always involve other weapons or no weapons at all.

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61 Percent of U.S. Counties now Second Amendment Sanctuaries: Analysis

The Center Square

The majority of all U.S. counties have been designated as Second Amendment sanctuaries, according to an analysis by SanctuaryCounties.com.

As of June 20, there are 1,930 counties “protected by Second Amendment Sanctuary legislation at either the state or county level,” representing 61% of 3,141 counties and county equivalents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Texas was the 21st state to pass a constitutional carry bill, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law, and becomes effective Sept. 1. And while some state legislatures are not taking the same action, county officials have chosen to enact their own legislation. Roughly 1,137 counties “have taken it upon themselves to pass Second Amendment Sanctuary legislation and likely hundreds of cities, townships, boroughs, etc. have done so at their level as well,” the site states.

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Young Minnesotans Sue for Right to Carry Firearms

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Three Minnesotans are suing for the right for adults aged 18 to 20 to be able to carry firearms in the state, according to court documents.

Axel Anderson, 18, Austin Dye, 19, and Kristin Worth, 18, argue that state laws prohibiting them from carrying firearms infringe on their rights, according to a lawsuit. Minnesotans without felonies are permitted to own firearms at 18-years-old, though they can’t carry them until they reach 21.

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Analysis: Progressive Myths About Mass Shootings and Weapons of War

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Within a week of blaming “white supremacy” for the murder of six Asian and two white women by a white man in Georgia, progressives are now blaming “assault weapons” for a mass shooting in which a Trump-hating Muslim immigrant with a history of violence, mental illness, and racial animus gunned down 10 white people in a Boulder, Colorado supermarket.

Beyond the duplicity of highlighting race only when the killer is white and the victims are not, progressive lawmakers, activists, and journalists are using a litany of falsehoods in an attempt to ban common semi-automatic guns used for home defense and hunting.

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FBI Confirms No Firearms Were Found During January 6 Capitol Protests

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A leading counterterrorism official at the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed on Wednesday that, despite frequent and baseless claims that the protests at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th was supposedly an “armed insurrection,” no firearms were recovered in the aftermath of the protests, as reported by the Epoch Times.

Jill Sanborn, the FBI’s counterrorism chief, confirmed this significant detail during sworn testimony before the Senate. When asked by Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) how many firearms were confiscated from the protesters who were arrested, Sanborn said “to my knowledge, none.” Sanborn then went on to claim, without evidence, that “we knew they would be armed, we had intelligence that they would be coming to D.C., but we did not have intelligence that they would be breaching the Capitol.”

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Over $14 Million Worth of Drugs, Firearms and a Man Wanted for Murder Detained by Border Officials in February

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Around $14.3 million worth of narcotics and several weapons have been seized since the start of February at an Arizona port where officials also arrested a man wanted for murder, Customs and Border Protection announced Tuesday.

Officials seized 440 pounds of methamphetamine, 385,000 tablets of fentanyl, 84 pounds of heroin and almost 13 pounds of cocaine in around 25 instances since Feb. 1, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A 28-year-old man wanted for murder in Las Vegas was arrested while in possession of an AR-15 assault rifle, a handgun and over 300 rounds of ammunition.

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Illegal Alien Sentenced to Five Years for Cocaine Trafficking in Memphis

Anthony Gockowski

An illegal alien who evaded capture for nearly three years was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison last week for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to a Monday statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, a federal jury in February found Carlos Landeros-Salcedo guilty after a three-day trial and just 40 minutes of deliberation among the jurors. U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced him to 60 months in federal prison on June 10.

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Gun Stocks Skyrocket as Violent Riots Continue

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Gun stocks have skyrocketed as protests and riots continue throughout the United States following the death of George Floyd.

Activists set cars ablaze, smashed property, and looted businesses across the country as rioters protested the death of Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, video of the incident shows. The police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been fired and charged on 3rd degree murder and manslaughter charges.

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Michigan’s State Capitol Commission Delays Decision Whether It Will Ban Guns on Capitol Grounds

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The Michigan State Capitol Commission on Monday voted to form a five-member committee to study whether it has the authority to ban guns from Capitol grounds, to seek input from the legislature and the executive branches, and report a recommendation to the Commission.

Chair Gary Randall said the committee will meet as soon as next week if members’ schedules allow.

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AG Nessel: Capitol Commission Holds Legal Authority to Ban Firearms in State Buildings

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In a letter sent to the chair of the Michigan State Capitol Commission, Attorney General Dana Nessel asserted the commission holds the legal authority to ban firearms in the State Capitol Building.

The MSCC’s authority includes ensuring the “safety of the visiting public, as well as those who carry out the People’s work by prohibiting firearms within the Capitol building,” Nessel wrote.

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Background-Check Increase Suggests Spike in Tennessee Firearms Sales

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The Tennessee background-check system for firearms has been backlogged because of a spike in requests from firearm dealers, suggesting an uptick in sales amid COVID-19 concerns.

Between March 12 and March 16, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation processed 14,657 background checks. In a comparable period from last month – Feb. 13 through Feb. 17  – TBI processed 7,901 checks.

Although the system only tracks background checks processed and not the total number of firearms sold, the increase suggests more firearms are being purchased.

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Ahead of Second Amendment Lobby Day and Rally in Virginia Monday, Warnings of a ‘Set-Up’ Against Supporters Spread

Laura Baigert

RICHMOND, Virginia – Supporters of the 2nd Amendment have received warnings about being set up at the annual rally at the Commonwealth of Virginia capitol, which has become ground-zero for the constitutionally protected right of Americans to keep and bear arms.

For nearly two decades, Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) has organized an annual trek to the General Assembly on Martin Luther King Day to peacefully assemble and lobby their legislators on the 2nd Amendment.

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New York Man Gets State Stun Gun Ban Overturned Based on His Second Amendment Rights

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by Evie Fordham   Banning the personal ownership of stun guns in New York state is unconstitutional because it violates individuals’ Second Amendment right to bear arms, a federal judge ruled Friday. “New York’s sweeping prohibition on the possession and use of tasers and stun guns by all citizens for all purposes, even for self-defense in one’s own home, must be declared unconstitutional,” U.S. District Judge David Hurd wrote in his decision according to The Associated Press. Hurd also wrote that people trading firearms for stun guns could result in less weapons deaths. Matthew Avitabile of Schoharie County, New York, had brought the suit against the state police superintendent, since that agency enforces the state’s weapons laws. Avitabile wanted to buy a stun gun to defend himself in his home in rural upstate New York, reported The AP. Avitabile is also the mayor of Middleburgh, New York, and said that although his town is as safe “as Mayberry,” he wants New Yorkers to be able to protect themselves, reported The New York Post. Forty-seven states allow tasers and stun guns with varying levels of regulation, according to The New York Post. Now the stricter states are starting to reverse course. For instance,…

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New Cases of Armed Citizens Stopping Criminals in February

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by Amy Swearer   Last month, we documented some extraordinary examples from January of armed citizens relying on their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves and others. We pointed out that these were average, everyday Americans who were just going about their lives. They did not go looking for evil but were nonetheless prepared to deal with the evil that found them. February has produced even more evidence that the fundamental right to keep and bear arms is not an anachronism that no longer deserves constitutional protection, but a vital tool safeguarding individual liberty. Studies routinely indicate that every year, Americans use their firearms in defense of themselves or others between 500,000 and 2 million times. Very few of these defensive gun uses receive national publicity – if they receive publicity at all. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] Below, we’ve highlighted just a handful of the many times during the month of February that law-abiding Americans demonstrated the importance of the Second Amendment. Feb. 2: A restaurant owner in Akron, Ohio, scared off a masked man who attempted to rob him with a knife. The man fled, and…

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California’s Background Check Law Had No Impact on Gun Deaths, Johns Hopkins Study Finds

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by John Miltimore   A new academic study has found that, once again, gun laws are not having their desired effect. A joint study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of California at Davis Violence Prevention Research Program found that California’s much-touted mandated background checks had no impact on gun deaths, and researchers are puzzled as to why. California Gun Laws Are a Failure In 1991, California simultaneously imposed comprehensive background checks for firearm sales and prohibited gun sales (and gun possession) to people convicted of misdemeanor violent crimes. The legislation mandated that all gun sales, including private transactions, would have to go through a California-licensed Federal Firearms License (FFL) dealer. Shotguns and rifles, like handguns, became subject to a 15-day waiting period to make certain all gun purchasers had undergone a thorough background check. It was the most expansive state gun control legislation in America, affecting an estimated one million gun buyers in the first year alone. Though costly and cumbersome, politicians and law enforcement agreed the law was worth it. The legislation would “keep more guns out of the hands of the people who shouldn’t have them,” said then-Republican…

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Harvard Student and Legal Gun Owner Asked to Find Another Apartment by Landlord

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by Neetu Chandak   A Harvard University graduate student was asked to look for another apartment by her landlord after roommates intruded the student’s room and found guns. The roommates searched 24-year-old Leyla Pirnie’s drawers, closet and under the bed for the guns, The Washington Free Beacon reported Friday. “When I asked them why they were in my room to begin with, they each came up with completely contradicting stories (none of which made any sense), but one comment struck me in particular: ‘We saw that you had a Make America Great Again hat and come on, you’re from Alabama … so we just kind of assumed that you had something,’” Pirnie said, the Beacon reported. “I asked why they didn’t just call me and ask me before intruding. One of the girls responded that fear took over her body and she felt compelled to search my room until she found proof … I cannot make this up.” One of the roommates emailed landlord Dave Lewis after finding the guns and expressing discomfort, according to the Beacon. “That being said, it’s clear that the rest of the housemates are extremely uncomfortable with the idea of Firearms being kept in the…

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6 Shootings in Nashville in 24 Hours Highlight Double-Digit Increases in Violent Crimes

Jason M. Reynolds
Nashville Police

Officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department responded to at least six unrelated shootings in less than 24 hours, NewsChannel 5 reported Saturday. Meanwhile, police report a spike in violent crimes in the state’s capital. The first shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. Friday on Joseph Avenue at Riverchase Apartments. Officials said the 50-year-old female victim told them she was standing in her doorway when a man in a dark car started firing a gun, hitting her in her hand. The other shootings were: Around 12:15 a.m. Saturday, an apartment in the 2100 block of Waterford Circle, when reports stated a man in his 20s said he accidentally shot himself one time in the thigh with a pistol. At 1 a.m. Saturday, in the1300 block of Bellshire Terrace. After 1:30 a.m. Saturday, a group of young male suspects approached another group and began shooting. Police said the victims had been hanging out near 21st Avenue South. Saturday, around 5 p.m., officials said a juvenile showed up at the hospital with a non-life threatening gunshot wound to his leg from an accidental discharge. Around 7 p.m. Saturday, an 18-year-old was shot, and the suspect also allegedly took his backpack. Murders rise 33.73 percent The…

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Tennessee Capitol to Continue Prohibiting Handguns

Wendy Wilson

The Tennessee Capitol will continue to prohibit handguns despite a new policy at the new home for state lawmakers that will allow permit holders to have them, Gov. Bill Haslam said this week. Haslam told reporters Monday he has no intention of proposing a change in policy at the Capitol, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He earlier had released a statement to that effect. Haslam said he doesn’t want guns at the Capitol because of the numerous tour groups and school children it attracts. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) and House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) announced recently that permit holders will be allowed to carry firearms into the renovated Cordell Hull Building. Lawmakers are in the process of moving into their new offices and the building will open to the public next week. Lawmakers had tried to get guns allowed at Legislative Plaza, which they are leaving for the Cordell Hull Building. But their attempts failed because of the Haslam administration’s concerns about logistics for security at Legislative Plaza and the desire for it to have the same policy as the Capitol. The legislature last year passed a law giving it oversight of its building, paving the way for a change at…

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Permit Holders Allowed to Carry Firearms in New Tennessee Legislative Building

Wendy Wilson

Carry permit holders will be allowed to bring their firearms into the new home of the Tennessee state legislature, according to a joint statement issued this week by Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge) and House Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville). Lawmakers have started relocating to the renovated Cordell Hull Building from the War Memorial Building and Legislative Plaza. The Cordell Hull Building will open to the public Nov. 15. “Tennessee carry permit holders are among the most law-abiding demographics in our state,” the statement said. The new policy requires permit holders to present their permit at security and undergo a thorough screening that will determine the permit’s validity. Once that is verified, a permit holder will get the green light to carry on the premises. To receive a permit, people must be fingerprinted, submit to a background check and get firearms training.

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Letter to the Editor: Let Us Remember the True Meaning of the Second Amendment

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2nd Amendment

Dear Tennessee Star,  After Las Vegas, The Second Amendment is again under attack by the Democrats and Liberals. But why did the framers of the Constitution include the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights? It’s been said that to properly understand the Constitution one must place themselves in the environment and frame of mind of those writing the Constitution at the time the Constitution was written. I agree, a Government of the People and by the People, must also include it’s protection and security by the People. America was in a war with England at the time the Constitution was being written, a war the People was fighting with their own guns and ammo. America had no military such as we have today, everything depended on the citizens, their firearms and willingness to fight. The framers recognized that without the right to own guns, the people would never be able to win their freedom or maintain their own security from tyranny in the future. The Framers placed the ultimate responsibility for maintaining America’s way of life not in the hands of Government, Law enforcement or the Military, but in the hands of the people, and just as Law enforcement and…

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